MF-004 · Free microlearning

Machinery, Winches & Stored Energy

Awareness learning for people working around machinery, hauling gear, winches, rollers, lines and other powered equipment on New Zealand commercial maritime and fishing vessels.

What you will learn

  • why moving machinery and hauling gear can cause fatal or life-changing harm
  • how entanglement, crush, pinch and line-of-fire hazards develop
  • why stopping a machine is not always the same as making it safe
  • why stored energy and unexpected movement must be controlled
  • why communication, maintenance and vessel-specific procedures matter.
Awareness, not machinery authorisation: MF-004 does not authorise you to operate, isolate, maintain or repair machinery. Use only equipment you are trained, competent and authorised to use, following the vessel's safe system of work.
Lesson 2

Where this learning fits

Under HSWA, maritime operators must manage work risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and workers must take reasonable care and follow reasonable safety instructions. Fishing vessels also operate under applicable Maritime Rules and an approved safety system such as an MTOP/MOSS arrangement or, for qualifying small fishing vessels, an SOP.

  • Maritime NZ publishes guidance on the safe use of machines on ships and fishing-vessel winch and lifting gear.
  • Maritime Rules Part 40D contains design, construction and equipment requirements for New Zealand fishing ships, including requirements relevant to winches and working gear.
  • The exact equipment, controls, isolation arrangements and competency requirements depend on the vessel and machinery.
  • Follow the operator, skipper/master, manufacturer's instructions and vessel-specific procedures.

NZQC does not determine whether a particular machine, winch, guard, emergency stop, lifting appliance or isolation system complies with the rules.

Lesson 3

Keep clear of entanglement and the line of fire

Common danger zones include:

  • rotating drums, shafts, rollers, capstans and winches
  • nip and pinch points where gear feeds into or around machinery
  • ropes, warps, nets and lines under tension
  • suspended or moving loads
  • areas where gear could recoil, swing, shift or release suddenly
  • loose clothing, gloves, hair or equipment that can be caught.
Position matters. Do not stand in a bight of rope, between moving gear and a fixed object, beneath a suspended load, or where tensioned gear could recoil or sweep through.
Lesson 4

Stopped does not always mean safe

A machine that has stopped moving may still restart, move unexpectedly or retain hazardous energy.

Before clearing a jam, removing a guard, cleaning, adjusting or maintaining machinery:

  • use the vessel's approved shutdown and isolation procedure
  • identify all relevant energy sources
  • prevent unexpected start-up or movement using the authorised isolation method
  • verify the safe state as required by the procedure
  • do not bypass guards, interlocks or emergency controls
  • if you are not trained or authorised for the task, stop and get the right person.
An emergency stop is not automatically an isolation. The correct method depends on the equipment and vessel procedure.
Lesson 5

Stored energy can move without warning

Hazardous energy may remain even after power is switched off.

  • tensioned ropes, wires, nets and springs can release suddenly
  • hydraulic or pneumatic pressure can move equipment
  • raised or suspended components can fall or shift
  • rotating parts can coast after power is removed
  • electrical, mechanical or gravitational energy may remain.

Follow the authorised procedure for releasing, restraining, blocking or otherwise controlling stored energy. Never assume energy has dissipated because the controls are off.

Lesson 6

Communication and maintenance are controls

Unexpected machinery movement can occur when one person does not know another person is in the danger zone.

  • agree who controls the machinery and how start/stop instructions are communicated
  • make sure operators can account for people exposed to the equipment before movement
  • report defective guards, brakes, emergency stops, controls, ropes, wires or lifting/hauling gear
  • inspect and maintain equipment at the intervals required by the vessel's system and applicable requirements
  • take unsafe equipment out of service using the vessel's process rather than working around the defect.
Maintenance work needs coordination. When several businesses or contractors are involved, PCBUs with overlapping duties must consult, cooperate and coordinate their activities so risks are controlled.
Lesson 7

Stop · Think · Act

Scenario: A net has bunched around a powered roller. The roller is stopped, but another crew member can operate it remotely. You think you can quickly reach in and free the gear.

What is the best response?

Lesson 8

Knowledge check

Answer all four correctly to complete this awareness module.

1. Which is a line-of-fire risk?

2. A machine has stopped. What should you assume before clearing a jam?

3. Which is an example of stored energy?

4. What does completing MF-004 demonstrate?